Pipe filter



April 5 E; MORGAN 3,435,830

PIPE FILTER Filed Feb. 24, 1967 F IG.

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United States Patent 3,435,830 PIPE FILTER Emil Morgan, 306 Ave. P, Brooklyn, NY. 11204 Int. Cl. A24f 1/110, 9/10, /08

US. Cl. 131-205 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE It is the primary object of my invention to provide a new and improved filter for a smoking pipe which yields a lighter and sweeter taste to the smoker and prevents bitter juices as well as particles of tobacco from reaching the mouth of the smoker.

It is a further object of my invention to provide for a pipe of the character described, a filter which is unitary in structure, which can be manufactured by known mass production techniques and which can thereby be marketed to the smoking public at a relatively low cost.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a filter for a pipe of the character described wherein the circumference of the filter can be altered easily and quickly by a smoker in order to enable the smoker to fit the filter into pipes having chambers of various diameters.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a smoking pipe, a filter therefor and the lower portion of the filter removal and replacement key;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the bowl of the pipe with the filter in place therein, situated below a quantity of smoking tobacco;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the bowl of the pipe and showing the removal and replacement key engaging the filter;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional View of the upper portion of the pipe bowl, the filter and the removal and replacement key, the filter being illustrated just after it has been removed from the bowl;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the filter taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. MS a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a second embodiment of the filter removal and replacement key and a second form of the filter;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a third form of the pipe filter; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of the third form of the filter taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a pipe adapted for the smoking of tobacco, the pipe being of the type with which my new and improved filter is intended to be used. The pipe 10 is entirely conventional and includes, typically, a mouth piece 12, a stem 14, a shank 16, and a bowl 18. The bowl ice internally defines a generally cylindrical chamber 20, the top of which is open and the bottom of which is substantially hemispherical. The chamber 20 leads into a passageway 22 which runs internally of the shank 16 and the stem 14 through the mouthpiece 12.

The filter will hereinafter be referred to by the reference numeral 24. The filter 24 is a fiat planar disc constant in thickness and circular in plan. The filter has a pair of opposed fiat faces 26, 28 and a cylindrical side surface 30. Desirably, the filter is formed from a rigid material, and one which is not affected by the heat from the burning of the tobacco in the bowl and one which is not affected by the tars and fumes from such tobacco. Aluminum has been found to be a good material from which to make filter.

The filter 24 has a plurality of through apertures 32 therein, and desirably said apertures are twelve in number and distributed six along each of two coaxial circles of different diameters. As seen in FIG. 5, the through apertures 32a are distributed along a circle of relatively greater radius in the filter 24 while the through apertures 32b are distributed along a circle of relatively smaller radius in the pipe filter.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the filter is situated at a lower portion of the chamber 20 of the bowl 18 of the pipe, and fits therein at the zone where the cylindrical shape of the chamber 20 changes into a hemispherical shape. The filter 24 is retained in place by friction of its side surface 30 against the interior surface of the bowl 18. The filter has been previously pressed downwardly into this zone to reach this frictional engagement.

In use, the filter 24 is situated at a lower portion of the chamber 20 of the bowl 18, as mentioned, and a quantity of tobacco T is placed into the chamber 20 in the normal manner. The tobacco is retained by the filter 24 above the floor of the chamber 20 and above the entrance to the pipe passageway 22. After the tobacco is lit, air drawn in by the smoker will enter the bowl as indicated by the arrow A, and tobacco smoke from the burning tobacco will pass through the apertures 32 in the filter 24 as indicated by the curved arrows, and pass through the passageway 22 as indicated by the arrow C to the mouth of the smoker. The filter causes a sweeter and lighter taste to be achieved, prevents bits and pieces of the tobacco from passing to the mouth of the smoker, and prevents bitter tars and gases from reaching the mouth of the smoker by condensing the same on the filter faces.

After a period of use, the smoker will see that the filter 24 has become quite dirty with condensed tars, nicotine and tobacco particles and it then becomes necessary to remove the filter 24 for cleaning so as to remove the condensate from it and to insure that the through apertures 32 are kept clear. To this end, a filter removal and replacement key, i.e. a tool 34, is provided with means for engaging the filter for removal and replacement. The key 34 includes an elongated cylindrical central shank 36 having a handle 38 at its upper end and a filter engaging member at its lower end. Said engaging member includes a downwardly protruding cylindrical stud 40 which is coaxial with the shank 36 but which is of considerably smaller diameter. The stud 40 carries at. a location spaced from its upper end at least the thickness of the filter, a pair of radially oppositely protruding wings 42. To receive the engaging member of the key, the filter has a central aperture 44 of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of each of the through apertures 32 and of a diameter sufiiciently large to permit the stud 40 of the key 34 to pass freely therethrough. A pair of slots 46 leads into the central aperture 44, each of the slots 46 being identical but on a diametrically opposed side of the central aperture 44. The slots are so disposed and of such size that the wings 42 of the key 34 can pass freely therethrough.

When the filter 24 is to be removed the smoker grasps the key 34 by the handle 38 and engages the filter by causing the stud 40 to pass through the central aperture 44 and the wings 42 on the stud to pass through the opposed slots 46. This position of the key is illustrated in FIG. 3. Then the key 34 is axially rotated 90 degrees to a position illustrated in FIG. 4, so that the wings 42 pass out of registry with the slots 46 and beneath the face 28 of the filter. (See FIGS. 4 and 5.) The filter is removed from the bowl 1 8 by pulling the key upwardly away from the bowl. The filter is next taken off of the key 34 and cleaned. The filter is replaced back into the chamber 20 in the converse manner, that is, first the filter is engaged by the key and then lowered to the bottom of the chamber 20 until its side surface 30 frictionally engages the lower portion of the chamber 20. Then the key 34 is rotated 90 degrees and the stud 40 and the wings 42 projecting therefrom are passed through the slots 46 and the central aperture 44 and out of engagement with the filter.

In FIG. 6, there is illustrated a second form of the key 34'. In this form, the shank 36 carries a stud 48 with a male thread formed thereon, and the filter 24' has a femalethreaded central 50. The key 34' is engaged with the filter 24' simply by screwing the stud 48 into the aperture 50. Then, as previously, the filter is lifted upwardly by upward movement applied to the key 34'.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, another form of the filter 24 is shown, this form being adapted to fit a pipe bowl of any one of various diameters. To this end, circular concentric score lines of varying diameters are formed in the filter, these diameters beingsuch as to match standard sizes of pipe chamber diameters. In the form 24" there are two score lines shown, an outer score line 52b and an inner score line 52a. The material of the filter 24" is such that a smoker may break off the rings defined by the respective score lines and more specifically, an outer ring 54b defined by the score line 52b and an outer ring 54a defined by the score line 52a. It will of course be understood that when the filter is severed along the score line 52a, removal of the ring 54a will include removal of the ring 54b. The rings 54a or 54b may be broken off or fit into pipe bowl chambers of various diameters. The breaking olf of the rings may be done simply either by the hands of the smoker or with the aid of a common 4 cutting instrument. The foregoing reduces the filters circumference.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of the features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the invention be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the disclosure herein.

I claim:

1. A filter for a smoking pipe, the pipe including a bowl defining a chamber and a shank, stem and mouthpiece, the shank, stern and mouthpiece defining an internal pas sageway connected at one end to the chamber, the filter being formed from a stiff material and constituting a substantially planar member, the filter extending transversely of the chamber and its edge frictionally engaging the internal surface of the bowl, the filter having a plurality of through apertures formed therein, the filter having score lines formed thereon to define at least one outer band, each such band being severable from the remainder of the filter along the score lines to thereby decrease the outer circumference of the filter so that the filter may fit into pipe bowls of various internal dimensions.

2. A filter as set forth in claim 1 wherein the score lines on the filter form concentric bands on the filter, said bands being separately severable from the remainder of the filter along each score line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,498 3 1909 Muller. 1,104,654 7/1914 Gilliland 131224 XR 1,537,138 5/1925 Rankow 131-205 1,874,075 8/1932 Whelan 131-205 2,316,162 4/1943 Helm 131224 XR 2,435,413 2/ 1948 Stanley 131246 FOREIGN PATENTS 326,804 3/ 1930 Great Britain. 92,205 12/ 1921 Switzerland.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 131-246 

